Can Meditation Make You 10% Happier?

Total Score: 29.5

The Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics 10% Happier app provides a step-by-step introduction to meditation. Who doesn’t need help with controlling stress? Whether you are a novice at meditation or have had some experience, this app provides you with some solid information on how to improve your life – which should increase happiness.

Price Rating = 5 Free – with an option to upgrade to ongoing charges. What is it worth to be happier and more able to control your emotions? I don’t have an answer yet myself. Certainly that would be worth more than the yearly cost.

Ease of Use Rating = 5It is very easy to move through the lessons.

Readability Rating = 5I would give it great marks in this area. Much of the content is audio or video, so viewing on devices as small as the iPhone is appropriate.

Will You Use It Rating =5I find that this break – less than 10 minutes – each day allows me to reset, refocus and get more done. Let me know how it works for you.

Downsides Rating = 0 The only downside I can see so far, and I am not deducting for it, is that while there is a fair amount of free content, it won’t take long before you would run out and have to decide whether to commit to other costs.

Consumer Review Rating = 4.5 At review time it hadlittle more than 400 ratings. There were some concerns about the amount of content offered for free and the costs when you upgrade.

Why Do You Need This App Rating = 5 There is a fair amount of research showing the benefit of meditation. Here’s a couple of links. Huffington Post and Forbes.

When you open the app you create an account. You give them your email and a password, then agree (or not) to reminders to meditate. It is also at this time that you can set it up to have Apple’s Health App count your “mindful minutes.” I am not sure what value this will have, but in this quantified world it is good to have data.

Your next step is to start a class. I started with the Basics. You watch a couple of videos about the process and then get started. You need a quiet, uninterrupted space. Other than that, you are ready to begin.

If you stay within one class you will see your progress acknowledged through the course and the when you come back to the app it will bring you to the place you need to start.

I have moved around in the app a little and found the basic courses take about five to 10 minutes and some of the others have taken up to 20.

There are courses on mindful eating, being 10% nicer, a more effective communicator and even some for when you are on the go. Most of these have only the first class free and then it costs to unlock the rest of the content.

One of their tag lines connects to my mindset – For skeptics. By skeptics. Without the weird stuff. I am not looking for a whoo whoo solution. I want solid tips for everyday life. When I listen to the courses I do relax and as I mentioned above, seem more focused on what I need to do next and yes, less stressed. That could translate to happier to many people. If this could help me develop a mindfulness habit, that would be a strong selling point. I am sold on it for now, I will update the app in a couple of weeks to share my progress.

Devices: This app can be used on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. It requires iOS 9.0 or later. The app is developed Change Collective, Inc.